Claudius opened his eyes slowly, the image of Htaere's still sleeping
form hazily coming into view. His tired old knees ached from being
arched over the arm of the couch for the duration of his sleep and there
was a cramp in his neck from using her lap as a pillow. "Ugh..." he
groaned painfully, still not able to move. He was getting old and no
matter what kind of physical regimen he maintained there was no exercise
that would halt the progress of time.

At the first inkling of stir, Htaere shifted a bit, readjusting her
position. Despite the inherent discomfort of having sat upright all
night, she had slept remarkably well, on account of sheer exhaustion
most likely. Her body went rigid for a moment as she seemed to stretch,
the muscles tightening before easing back into relaxation. Her eyes
opened momentarily as she squirmed in her seat, taking in a blurry
setting before drifting closed again.

"Forgive me," Claudius said to her weakly as he raised his hands
above his shoulders and attempted to stretch, still laying upon her.
"When you feel asleep I should have carried you to the bed instead of
permitting us to lay here," he explained as he slowly began to sit up.
With some effort and strain he managed to position himself seated on the
couch, his elbows resting on his knees as he rested his head in the
palms of his hands.

Htaere drew herself up as well, looking somewhat distraught that she
had fallen asleep sans shower the previous night. "No apology is needed.
We were both very tired. The sleep was much needed." She got to her
feet, disappearing towards the refresher unit, where she began
discarding clothing and jewelry for a soothing shower.

"I did not set an alarm. I've probably missed the morning staff
meeting," Claudius bemoaned as he rose from the sofa, finding himself
still wearing the same underwear he put on before their trip home. That
was acceptable during his time at the University of Aldera, but not
today. "Ugh," he said as he caught a scent of himself and stripped down
almost immediately, leaving his undergarments in a carless heap, as he
too headed for the refresher. "Oh..." he stammered when he noticed she
had the same idea. "You go first," he said tiredly as he sought out a
robe.

After a few moments, she emerged in a plush luxurious robe, hair
pulled up into a towel. Some careful wardrobe selection and assistance
from a service droid in doing her hair and adorning herself in the usual
array of spectacular jewelry, and she appeared more content to be what
she deemed presentable. Content to complete the finishing touches on her
own in front of the mirror, the service droid disappeared to procure
breakfast of sorts for them. "You have much to do today. A good
breakfast would do you well, Claudius" she commented towards him, fixing
the last few golden red tendrils so they fell perfectly around her
shoulders.

As he watched the ordeal she put herself through to make herself
ready, he thanked the maker that he was a man. "It may already be time
for lunch, dear" he explained as he stepped past her and entered the
sonic shower. He closed his eyes and let out a contented moan as the
unit began to clean his body. The muck that had accumulated over the
past day were blasted away and he began to feel like a human being
again.

Outside of the Admiral's personal chambers Major Kiley arrived,
believing herself to be late. In her mind, she began to formulate a
possible excuse, but none seemed acceptable enough for her tardiness. In
her hand she gripped a datapad with disturbing reports she had been
granted access to while preparing for their return to the Ringali Shell.
A gloved hand raised to knock three times lightly upon the door, and
then she took a step back, expecting to find an agitated man on the
other side.

Lucky for the major, Htaere had the serving droid get to the door
first. The droid opened the door, greeting her with the soft voice
Htaere had requested be programmed into it. It welcomed her in,
motioning inside and eager to usher her to the parlor where the
late-blooming couple had spent the night, and were in the progress of
recongregating in the name of breakfast. Htaere had eagerly accepted a
cup of tea when the droid offered, looking over a menu of items for the
droid to prepare.

Kerrie blinked as she looked at Htaere sitting in the chair, seeming
to have just awoken. Her eyes immediately turned as she looked to her
wrist chronometer to double check the time, but indeed it was already
quite late. She thus far had not experienced much in the way of the
Admiral's married life and wondered if perhaps this would be the norm
from now on. "Good after...morning, milady," she said, stuttering as she
corrected herself.

"Who is it, my love? Is it the breakfast already?" Claudius shouted
to compensate for the noise of the sonic shower, having remained in the
sonic shower a bit longer to remove the last of the grime from the long
shuttle trip. He could only assume it was an officer arriving to inquire
about his absence at the morning staff meeting.

"Good morning" Htaere answered cheerfully, unaware of the hour. "You
are just in time for breakfast. Would you care to join us?" she nodded
to the tray as the serving droid continued in and out of the galley
undertaking the preparation. "Breakfast is ready, Claudius" Htaere's
voice sang out melodiously, the thick accent always adding an elegant
and charming ring to the words.

Claudius extricated himself from the sonic shower at long last and
stepped back out into the room expecting just to find Htaere and the
serving droid. He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Kerrie and
immediately moved to cover himself. "Why didn't you tell me she was
here?" he complained to Htaere as he embarrassingly darted back into the
refresher to find some towels.

Kerrie was caught completely off guard by the Admiral's sudden
appearance, her eyes immediately going wide with a look of shock and
dismay as she did her best not to look, but could not avoid it. Her
cheeks remained flushed red and she raised a hand to cover her face.
"Oh..." was all she could murmur, believing her punishment might be as
severe as the Admiral's embarrassment.

A brow quirked towards him. "How silly, Claudius. You knew someone
had arrived" she tried to conceal the smirk, becoming more and more
surprised by the increase in gumption she observed in him lately.
"You did take a robe into the refresher when you entered, did you not?"
she added, eyes glistening at the outplay of the moment. "I suppose I
will have to monitor you more closely now, Admiral" she called out to
him. "I shall not have you parading around in front of other women
without your vestiges." It was all she could do not to laugh before
looking back to Kerrie. "The tea then?"

"When you said nothing I assumed it was the droid," Claudius
sheepishly explained as he returned, wrapping in a robe but still
wearing the same, embarrassed facial expression. "I am sure it is
nothing the Major has not seen before," he said, half-jokingly, as he
moved towards Htaere to await breakfast.

Kerrie remained speechless, her hand slowly coming down from her
face. She began back up slowly, feeling the tunic of her uniform growing
increasingly tighter as she looked to them. "...I shall return at a
later time," she nervously explained, wondering if she would ever truly
recover.

"Do not mind Claudius" she replied to Kerrie. "There is plenty here
for you. Stay and eat before the two of you are whisked away on account
of business dealings."

"Something tells me she did not come for the buffet," Claudius said
to Htaere as he looked to the Major. His hands moved towards the food
and he promptly applied some jam to a piece of a toast that he enjoyed
with his tea as he waited for her to state her purpose. "Out with it,"
he said rather abruptly, already feeling behind on the day.

"I...I...was not aware you were still eating breakfast, Milord,"
Kerrie stuttered awkwardly. There was a time in her life when she faced
down some of the most dangerous men and creatures throughout the galaxy
and she was never phased, but somehow this man consistently turned her
into a substance with a spine no firmer than the jam he applied to his
toast. "Lord Tion has provided us from disturbing reports about what has
been transpiring since our departure, Milord," she explained as she
placed the datapad on the table before them. "I feel we may need to
dramatically increase the security presence at your estate. I would like
to install a perimeter fence with guard towers," she began to elaborate
in specific details that seemed to lose most audiences, "And deploy an
entire platoon of Stormtroopers in a guard house we would construct. I
would also like to keep a ready alert flight of two TIE fighters at all
times."

Htaere's expression manifested her uncertainty about such changes.
"Why is this necessary? The estate is peaceful. Why must we assign a
significant military presence to a residence?"

Claudius placed his tea and toast down on the table and let out a
deep sigh, placing his hand against his temple and suddenly feeling as
if he could use another shower. "Not exactly going to suit Major
Zevrin's propaganda about a happy Imperial family leaving peacefully in
the region now is it Major?" he replied, utterly exasperated by the news
she had delivered.

"The estate may be peaceful, Milady," Kerrie explained as she shifted
her focus from Claudius to Htaere. "But, unfortunately the Rebellion has
managed to become quite daring and audacious in their methodology as of
late," she disappointedly explained, having known and served with many
of the officers who had been killed. "The present defense protocols were
developed before certain ... unexpected ... events," she concluded,
nervously dancing over pointing out some of the hostile acts the Empire
had conducted to inflame the local population in order to spare her
sensibilities.

"I do not understand. Where are the negotiations? The peace talks? Is
there no compromise that can be reached to pacify the present
hostilities? Surely these people are not unreasonable" she deduced
between delicate sips of tea.

Claudius snatched the datapad out of Major Kiley's hand and began to
study it, a look of disdain forming upon his still awakening face.
"Hmph," he muttered condescending as he studied Lord Tion's reports.
"Well I could have told you this would have happened," he said
irritating as he threw the datapad to the floor. He rose from the couch,
moving away from Htaere to brace himself against the wall. "All my work
ruined in three months by this blundering fool whose father handed him
everything he got in this life," he said, the irritation evident in his
every movement. "You know he had the nerve to invite Jelena to dinner?"
he shouted angrily to Htaere as he confused the personal outrage with
the professional one.

Claudius snatched the datapad out of Major Kiley's hand and began to
study it, a look of disdain forming upon his still awakening face.
"Hmph," he muttered condescending as he studied Lord Tion's reports.
"Well I could have told you this would have happened," he said
irritating as he threw the datapad to the floor. He rose from the couch,
moving away from Htaere to brace himself against the wall. "All my work
ruined in three months by this blundering fool whose father handed him
everything he got in this life," he said, the irritation evident in his
every movement. "You know he had the nerve to invite Jelena to dinner?"
he shouted angrily to Htaere as he confused the personal outrage with
the professional one.

Htaere's expression flashed one of hurt momentarily. He had never
yelled at her before. Cloudy grey pools shifted briefly to Kerrie before
returning to Claudius. "I..." her voice trailed off, letting the
momentum die a passive death. She regrouped her thoughts and summoned
the diplomacy that had been ingrained diligently. "Clearly the Empire
things highly enough of your command. They trust you to perhaps solve
the problems here and rectify the disastrous situation that has unfolded
in your absence."

Claudius realized what he had done and immediately the guilt became
overwhelming. He stopped dead in his tracks and his body language
shifted to that of dejection. He let out a deep sigh and lowered his
head. "I am..." he paused, raising his head to look her in the eye, "I
am sorry, Htaere. I lost myself for a moment." His voice trembled and
his hands began to shake. It was starting again and he had not even
arrived in the Ringali Shell yet.

Htaere's expression softened. "You have a difficult task ahead of
you" she said sympathetically. "There is no doubt of your capabilities.
And now you have the benefit of a refreshed perspective from your
sabbatical." She placed her tea cup and saucer down, the contents all
but gone, and rose. "I shall depart for a bit and let you address the
tasks before you." Her head dipped slightly to the major as she turned
towards the anteroom, departing from the suite and leaving them to tend
to business.

"Milady," Kerrie bowed politely to her as she excused herself, but
then faced the realization that she was now alone with the Admiral and
was no longer protected. Bracing herself, she turned to face him.

Claudius turned to Kerrie, but not with the anger he had previously
displayed. "Institute all security protocols recommended in your report,
Major," he instructed as he bent down to pick up the datapad he had
thrown. The shock of having yelled at Htaere had not left him, nor would
it for some time. "I will study this in greater detail..." he said,
sounding withdrawn aid distant as he sat back down to inspect what
remained of his tea. Without looking up at her, he concluded his orders,
"Inform the senior staff I'll meet with them later this evening.
Dismissed."

"I will do so at once, Milord," Kerrie said quickly, lowering into a
quick bow. She had never seen him like this before and it was a bit
unsettling. She slipped out of the room quickly, hurrying to begin her
assignments, but in the back of her mind she began to wonder if the old
man was slipping.

Jelena had been seated on one of the luxuriously appointed chaise
lounges watching Imperial Holovision when she observed Htaere emerging
from what used to be just her father's room. She was not yet used to the
idea and when she saw her, she immediately rose and offered a pleasant
smile. Something seemed slightly off and she took a step forward. "Is
everything all right?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side
sympathetically.

Htaere drew to a halt, reciprocating the pleasantry. "Oh, yes...They
have business to discuss and I thought it prudent to take leave" she
recited perfectly. "If you require something, I am certain he would not
mind an intermission" she offered optimistically.

"No," Jelena interjected quickly as she looked towards the closed
door longingly. "I learned at a very young age not to interrupt my
father while working," she explained, the many disappointments in life
echoing through her young voice. "Are you looking forward to returning
to Esseles?" she asked, changing the subject as she fidgeted
uncomfortably. The young noblewoman was dressed very casually, in how
she might imagine herself looking if she had been permitted to attend
university.

"Yes very much so. My poor guarlara is ready to have his feet on
solid ground, I do believe. And you? What do you make of your father's
reassignment?" She asked curiously.

"No... Not really..." Jelena confessed honestly to Htaere in a way
she could not do with her father. It seemed as if the guilt of what she
had done was filling her with grief. The thought of returning to the
scene of the crime was almost unbearable. "Being paraded on the local
holonet... Living in a war zone..." she continued sadly, recounting but
two of the events that she used as excuses to attribute her grief.

"I am afraid I do not understand the conflict" she likewise admitted.
"I do not understand why no resolution can be attained." She shook her
head slightly. "I have resolved to stay out of it, as my naïveté has
often left me feeling very much a detriment to the conversation when the
subject abounds." She thought for a moment, and with a sigh collected
herself and smiled. "I do know that Claudius regards the three of you
very carefully and makes the decisions he does based on that need for
protection." She resisted a chuckle. "I know that it offers little
consolation to you, but at least you understand where his train of
thought derives from."

"It's a very complicated conflict, Htaere," Jelena admitted, her
voice trembling with some doubt as she moved back towards her chaise
lounge. "I do not think this is a battle my father can win," she
continued, speaking to what many would sound as treason, but she knew it
was safe to talk to Htaere. "You can crush an army ... but you cannot
destroy an idea," she concluded as she wrapped herself in a light
blanket and returned to watching the Holovision.

"Idea?" despite Jelena's retreat, Htaere stayed where she was. "I
have been among the people in the market, the ones with no home, or
food. Claudius would not allow further action besides providing them
with a hot meal as the rebellion would seek out their camps and destroy
them en masse as collateral."

"Is that what they tell you?" Jelena asked, fighting back the urge to
laugh at her naivety. She turned around on the chaise lounge to look
towards her, tears beginning to form in her eyes now, as she wrapped
herself in the blanket, trying to make herself more comfortable.

"Claudius would not lie. Not to me."

"Maybe he's lying to himself..." Jelena replied, speaking to herself
as much as she was Htaere. Letting out en impassioned sigh she turned
her back around, curling up in the fetal position as she waited for the
day to simply end.

Htaere's eyes narrowed slightly, taken back by Jelena's words. Locked
in an internal battle, she turned slowly, expression still registering
her stunned disbelief as she drifted slowly down the corridor. The
fringes of the comfort she'd been living in for months now felt slightly
frayed, creating a guilt for harboring such thoughts and at the same
time a spec of doubt that like mottled the once clear landscape of her
mind with a singular point of contrast. She boarded the lift,
mentally fighting off the thoughts she was having. "He would not...he
would not lie to me. Kerrie would not lie to me" she announced to
herself. When the door chimed she was eager to step out, moving towards
one of the recessed bays where the beautiful and towering guarlara had
been housed, the long flowing hair of its tail, leg feathers and
forelock silken and shining. She moved into the giant "stall" that had
been constructed for it, extending a small hand towards its nose, the
warmth of its breath instantly putting her at ease, if only slightly.
The stifling choke of uncertainty began to melt, feeling an incredible
relief to be in the magnificent animal's presence.

Moments later, Claudius, now dressed in his Imperial uniform emerged
from his quarters and began to search for Htaere. "Htaere?" he shouted
in no specific direction as he spun around the large living room,
looking in no particular direction.

Jelena's hand emerged from beneath the blanket and without uttering
so much as a word she pointed towards the turbolift.

Claudius looked towards Jelena for just a moment, wondering what her
problem was. "It never rains, but it pours..." he commented to himself,
making a mental note to check on her at the end of the day. With that,
he stepped into the turbolift and headed towards the bay where her
creature was kept. It was the most logical spot she would head to at a
time like this he deduced, but he was not quite sure what he was going
to say to her. As the lift arrived at the floor he stepped out of it and
walked towards her slowly, so as not to spook the creature.

The animal's ears pricked forward, it's massive head turning to gaze
at the newcomer with intelligent eyes. Tiny in stature next to it,
Htaere turned to follow the her pet's focus. Upon seeing Claudius, she
offered a small smile. "I hope that my interjections did not offend."

"You could never offend me, my love," Claudius said as he leaned in
towards her, moving to place a soft, tender kiss upon her left cheek. He
then pulled back and looked at her, lowering his head slightly. "Please
forgive my outburst," he said as his hand reached for hers, taking it in
his own hand as he stood before her in all humility.

Htaere found herself feeling slightly edgy in his presence, a tension
she had not experienced she was first delivered to him as a total
stranger. Inwardly she scolded herself for allowing the ramblings of
teenage angst cloud her thoughts and feelings. She focused on offering a
rather soft smile. "Think nothing of it Claudius. I know you are under a
lot of pressure."

"Things..." Claudius began, but then stopped him, throwing around the
words in his head like a shockball before continuing, "...things will be
different on our return to Esseles." He paused, moving a hand to
gently pet the Guarlara as he turned his head away from her for a
moment. "I want to prepare you so that it does not come as a shock," he
continued, feigning his attention towards the beast to avoid coming off
overly concerned.

Htaere's lips pursed ever so slightly, accompanied by a small
swallow. A brief nod of her head signaled her focus on him, at least
outwardly. The notion of Claudius discussing a situation with her all
but fanned the tiny little ember of doubt that Jelena's commentary had
planted.

"Tion is a fool," Claudius explained quietly as he continued to
stroke the Guarlara's neck affectionately. He shook his head, lowering
it for just a moment as he managed his anger this time. "He has
squandered all of the good will I built up with the local population,"
he continued, slightly turning his head towards her. "Many of the people
on those worlds now despise the Empire and the men and women who serve
it," he informed her with a contemplative sigh. "Because of this they
will not be fond of our presence on their world and that is the reason
why Major Kiley recommended the increase in security," he informed her
as he placed a hand upon her shoulder. "I promise you ... if I thought
it was not safe I would not let you or the children set foot on the
planet," he said, looking her directly in the eye and speaking more
serious than he had before.

"I know" she answered quietly. "I shall do a better job of staying
out of your affairs Claudius. I know there is much work for you to do
here."

"I need you in my affairs, Htaere," Claudius confessed to her
quietly. "You keep me tied to reality..." he said, his voice growing
weak and tired. "Sometimes... sometimes... it can all be too much and I
lose sight of things," he continued on, his voice breaking and revealing
a vulnerability he had not previously shown. "You give me perspective,"
he admitted to her, his head raising and his eyes locking directly upon
hers once again.

"I have come to see that the perspective I offer is one of ignorance"
she avowed. "I assure you my intentions have been only the best."
Her eyes took him in for a moment, her expression compassionate and
empathic. "I am always here for you Claudius."

"Ignorance?" Claudius repeated, his voice sounding gravely concerned.
He took a step towards her, tilting his head as he looked down towards
her. "What do you mean ignorance?" he asked, his hand moving to gently
caress the side of her face as he began to worry.

"That I have often interposed thoughts or opinions regarding matters
that I am not qualified to make." She derailed the line of questioning
with a smile. "Do not fret on my behalf Claudius. You have more pressing
matters that deserve your attention" she quipped genially. "I am simply
anticipating being planetside and back to the estate." She gave his
hands a tender squeeze.

Claudius' life involved a daily walk across a tightrope above a pit
filled with spikes. Each of the people close to him in his life could
very easily be set off within even the slightest slip on his part.
Making matters worse was the fact that each of them was a woman. He
smiled at her as she squeezed his hand, but in the back of his mind he
began to wonder if Htaere's comments and Jelena's sour mood were part of
the same problem.

Htaere lifted onto her toes to place a tender kiss at the corner of
his mouth before withdrawing. "I am not keeping you am I?"

"To my satisfaction I am no longer a junior officer who must run
around at the beck and call of others, my sweet," Cladius responded to
her happily. "I have found that there is not a single person upon this
ship who will not wait for me," he said with a nod of his head, the
strength of his position giving him quite the sense of confidence.

"This is fact" she agreed. The conversation seemed to dwindle,
leaving her gazing at him in an uncomfortable silence, yet maintaining
what could easily pass as a pleasant enough smile. Her eyes flickered
about, looking for something to detract from the seriousness of the
conversation and the line it was following.

Claudius let out a soft sigh as he parted company with her, his hand
slowly releasing hers he turned and walked away. As he approached the
turbolift he stopped suddenly, and he turned to look at her. "Do not
serve dinner until I return," he said to her sweetly. "We need to make
sure we always make time for the simple things like that..." he added,
sounding quite contemplative as he reflected on what transpired. With
that, he stepped into the turbolift and proceeded to attend to the
business of the squadron.

Htaere nodded obediently, looking after Claudius with a blank
expression. The change in him was palpable already, and she felt guilty
that her behavior had played a part in it. She exhaled a deep breath,
turning towards the guarlara an stroking the immaculate coat over the
animal's shoulder, seeking a comfort she was finding nowhere else.

Annoyed, Kerrie Kiley moved through one of the ubiquitous corridors
of the Warspite, having been called away from planning the
defenses of the Rodney estate on Esseles for an as of yet unknown
purpose. Arriving at what seemed like any other door on the ship, she
punched in a four digit access code and the door swung open revealing a
dark room with complex computer equipment and numerous monitors.
Determined not to let anyone observe what was inside, she immediately
stepped in and let the door close behind her.

Inside the room, Lieutenant Trent Irso of Imperial Intelligence
sat watching one of the monitors. His eyes were focused on the screen,
listening intently as he played it back for what seemed like multiple
times. "Major," he said quietly so as not to distract from the
broadcast. "I had thought you most of all would be interested in seeing
this..." he said as he spun the video up yet again.

Major Kiley stood behind Lieutenant Irso, the blue light from the
monitor the only light source that served to illuminate her mimicked
Human face. She listened in horror to the conversation between Jelena
and Htaere, each word spoken by Jelena causing a tendril of pain to move
throughout her entire body. When she installed the monitoring system as
part of an improved defense system she never imagined it would be used
for anything like this.

"I think we know why our investigation into that disk three months
ago failed, Major," Irso reported confidently as the video concluded
and immediately began replaying. "And to think," he added with a slight
grin, "...most of us had felt it was the Admiral who was the one with
Rebel sympathies."

Kerrie remained speechless and motionless, a sick feeling building
within the pit of her stomach as she watched it a second time. "That
does not prove anything, Lieutenant," she said sternly, lying to the man
to avert suspicion. Logically her mind processed the information. It
made perfect sense ... Jelena had access and none of the senior
officers, including the Admiral, had been under any suspicion. "Has
anyone else seen this, Lieutenant?" she asked as she continued to look
on in horror.

"Not yet," Irso explained as his hand moved towards a datadisk
sitting in front of him. "I had just burned a copy for Major
Traebor," he
said to her as his hand motioned to the disk. "But given how much time
you put into the investigation ... and what it cost you ... personally
... I felt you deserved to see it first," he said, referring to her
temporary exile following her failure to recover the disk.

"Thank you, Trent," Kerrie said sweetly as she smiled to him, her
eyes glancing toward the disk. Her hand slowly moved towards her
holster, slipping her KYD21 blaster pistol silently out and moving it
upwards. Without hesitation she placed it to the back of the officer's
head and snapped off a quick blast.

The blaster bolt connected at point blank range with Lieutenant
Irso's head, frying his brain and causing his lifeless corpse to fall
forward onto the controls.

Kerrie let out a deep sigh and slid the blaster back into her
holster. She pushed the lifeless body of the Lieutenant to the ground
and sat down in the chair and began the process of erasing the data on
the computer's hard drive. She quickly grabbed the disk and slid it
inside of her uniform. She had chosen family over duty and only time
would tell if it was a decision she would regret.